A liquid biopsy designed to help avoid diagnostic impasse for life-threatening infections

Infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients.

A Novel Liquid Biopsy

See how the Karius Test can provide clinicians with clear diagnostic insight

Clinical Care

The main clinical application for the Karius Test is to help physicians diagnose infections in immunocompromised patients. The test helps diagnose pneumonia, invasive fungal infections, culture-negative endocarditis, opportunistic infections, and infectious causes of neutrophenic fever.

Lab Services

The Karius Test provides you and your clinical team with the ability to use a single blood draw to rapidly detect more than 1000 clinically relevant pathogens.

A Rapid Liquid Biopsy for Infectious Disease

The Karius Test is a liquid biopsy that can non-invasively and rapidly detect over 1000 pathogens causing both deep-seated and bloodstream infections from a single blood sample. The Karius Test may help clinicians avoid invasive, low-yield, and sequential diagnostic tests that can delay treatment for vulnerable hospitalized patients.

The main diagnostic application for the Karius Test is to help physicians diagnose infections in immunocompromised patients

Invasive Fungal Infections
Endocarditis
Febrile Neutropenia
Pneumonia

The Karius Test is designed to improve the diagnosis and management of life-threatening infections

Speeding up diagnosis of infections

The Karius Test results typically report the next day after sample receipt, compared with standard methods which can take days to weeks to yield results5,6,8

Optimizing antimicrobial treatment

Karius Test pathogen identification and the addition of genotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) detection may help clinicians to optimize antimicrobial treatment3,4

Reducing the need for invasive procedures

The Karius Test requires a single blood draw to reveal information-rich, microbial cellfree DNA, potentially avoiding invasive diagnostic procedures1,2

Testing Process

From blood sample to report, the Karius Test Process typically offers next day turnaround service.

Clinical and Analytical Validation

Multiple published studies describe the analytical validation and clinical evidence of the Karius Test.

Frequently Asked Questions

From clinical situations to sample collection to interpretation of results, find more specific information about Karius and Karius Test.

Improving the diagnosis of life-threatening infections

The Karius Test has demonstrated higher diagnostic yield than the standard of care diagnostic tests in multiple studies.

Karius Test diagnostic yield

71%-92%

vs

SOC diagnostic yield

7%-79%

Use CasePatient PopulationKarius YieldSOC YieldReference
Febrile neutropenia55 adult patients with leukemia

85%

42%

Benamu E et al. Clin Infect Dis. Published online April 19, 2021. Epub ahead of print.

Prolonged/persistent fever, or imaging suspicious of infection31 adult patients with hematologic malignancy +/-BMT

80%

35%

Yu J et al. Transplant Cell Ther. Published online February 26, 2021. Epub ahead of print.

Focal/systemic infections79 pediatric patients (76% immunocompromised

92%

(63% invasive)

79%

(48% invasive)

Rosoff J et al. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019;6(8)

Febrile neutropenia, pneumonia, or intra-abdominal infection10 adults with chemotherapy or transplant

80%

60%

Camargo JF et al. F1000Res. 2019 Jul 26;8:1194

Invasive infections / FUO / Febrile neutropenia / culture-negative endocarditis167 adult patients (36% immunocompromised)​

71%

7% (Blood Culture only)

Francisco, D., et al. Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology, 3(1), E31.

Focal/systemic infections (Retrospective analysis of use)​110 Pediatric patients​

74%​

53%

Wilke J et al. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2021;21:552

Complicated community-acquired pneumonia​46 pediatric patients 

89%​

26%​

Dworsky ZD, et al. Hosp Pediatr. 2022 Mar 2:e2021006361.​

Infective endocarditis10 pediatric patients​

80%​

30% (Blood Culture) / ​50% (All)​

To RK et al. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2021;40(5):486-488​

Karius Test Process

Karius Test reports are typically available 1 day after specimen receipt*

The Karius laboratory is CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited to perform high-complexity clinical laboratory testing

*>85% of specimens received by 8:30 AM (PT) Monday through Saturday are reported the next day

Step 1

SPECIMEN COLLECTION

5-mL standard blood draw in plasma preparation tube

View specimen collection and preparation instructions

Step 2

SPECIMEN PROCESSING

DNA extraction and library preparation

Step 3

SEQUENCING

Microbial cell-free DNA sequencing

Step 4

ANALYSIS

Curated clinical-grade pathogen database

Step 5

REPORTING

Quantitative amounts of clinically relevant pathogens

View Sample Test Report

Consultations are available with Karius infectious disease physicians and clinical microbiologists.

Ordering the Karius Test

The Karius Test is a send-out test that can be ordered by hospital clinicians. The patient's blood sample is collected at the hospital and shipped to the Karius laboratory overnight.

The kit includes:

  • Plasma preparation tube
  • Shipping materials
  • FedEx® Pak with preprinted label to Karius

1. Foong et al. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Vol. 9 Issue 12, December 2022, ofc652; 2. Shishido et al. BMC Infectious Diseases (2022) 22:372; 3. Francisco, D., et al. Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology, 3(1), E31 ; 4. Yu J et al. Transplant Cell Ther. Published online February 26, 2021.; 5. Rossoff J et al. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019;6(8).; 6. Tabak YP et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2018;56(12). ; 7. Bosshard PP. Mycoses. 2011;54(5):e539-545. ; 8. Benamu E, et al.,Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Apr19:ciab324.